Browser Usage: Why we still support IE7

by Daniel Dabner

Monday 06 January 2014

It's not uncommon for technology providers to drop support for older software, and eventually it has to happen for the advancement of your product or service. But while many web agencies will simply no longer support Microsoft's aging Internet Explorer 7 browser, we still can. In fact, we'll even support IE6 if your business audience justifies it.

Some IE7 usage stats

Firstly, some background statistics. IE7 usage used to account for a massive percentage of web traffic, but this is not the case anymore:

As you can see, global IE7 usage is still above 2% - that's 1 in 50 visitors that you might lose if your website or online application doesn't support it.

In fact, IE7 is still the 9th most used global browser version.

Even more surprising is that IE6 use is still over 4% - largely due to high use in countries such as China.

Why we'll support you to support IE7

Arguably, due to the limited support by many websites, some IE7 users also make use of another browser and will switch when a website is not displaying well. However, there are some - particularly users in larger corporate organisations - who either do not or are not permitted to use an alternative browser, often for security policy reasons.

Of course, it can be much harder and slower for large organisations to update their software due to the widespread policy updates, implementation and locations. As a result they are left running the aging browser versions such as IE7.

It is also the case that other third party software relies on IE7 for web implementation, such as Lotus Notes.

However, if your website or application's target audience is employees in such organisations, then it becomes imperative that your website supports these browsers and this is why we'll support you in making sure it does - even if it's the IE7 browser that so many other agencies love to hate.